Jimmy Kitts

Jimmy Kitts
	Kitts, c. 1940
Biographical details
Born	June 14, 1900; Dallas County, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 13, 1952 (aged 52); El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1918–1921	SMU
Basketball
1919–1922	SMU
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1924–1925	Dallas
1926–1929	Athens HS (TX)
1931–1933	Rice (freshmen)
1934–1939	Rice
1941	VPI
1943–1944	Ottumwa NAS
1946–1947	VPI
Basketball
1923–1926	Dallas
1926–1929	Athens HS (TX)
1932–1938	Rice
Baseball
Head coaching record
Overall	65–52–9 (college football); 75–73 (college basketball); 26–15 (college baseball)
Bowls	1–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	Football; 2 SWC (1934, 1937); Basketball; SWC (1935)

James Roland Kitts (June 14, 1900 – December 13, 1952) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as head football coach at the University of Dallas from 1924 to 1925, Rice Institute—now known as Rice University–from 1934 to 1939, and at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI)—now known as Virginia Tech—in 1941 and from 1946 to 1947. Kitts was also the head basketball coach at Rice from 1932 to 1938, tallying a mark of 58–56, and the head baseball coach at Dallas from 1924 to 1926 amassing a record of 26–15.^[1] Kitts was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1956.^[2]

Coaching career

Kitts was hired as the head football coach at the University of Dallas in December 1923.^[3]

From 1934 to 1939, Kitts coached at Rice, and compiled a 33–29–4 record. His 1934 team went 9–1–1, however his 1939 team went 1–9–1.

Death

Kitts died on December 13, 1952, in El Paso, Texas.^[4]

Head coaching record

College football


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	AP^#
Dallas Hilltoppers (Independent) (1924–1925)
1924	Dallas	4–3–1
1925	Dallas	7–2–1
Dallas:		11–5–2
Rice Owls (Southwest Conference) (1934–1939)
1934	Rice	9–1–1	5–1	1st
1935	Rice	8–3	3–3	T–3rd
1936	Rice	5–7	1–5	T–6th
1937	Rice	6–3–2	4–1–1	1st	W Cotton	18
1938	Rice	4–6	3–3	4th
1939	Rice	1–9–1	0–5–1	7th
Rice:		33–29–4	16–18–2
VPI Gobblers (Southern Conference) (1941)
1941	VPI	6–4	4–2	T–5th
Ottumwa Naval Air Station Skyers (Independent) (1943–1944)
1943	Ottumwa NAS	5–1
1944	Ottumwa NAS	3–4
Ottumwa NAS:		8–5
VPI Gobblers (Southern Conference) (1946–1947)
1946	VPI	3–4–3	3–3–2	T–7th	L Sun
1947	VPI	4–5	4–3	8th
VPI:		13–13–3	11–8–2
Total:		65–52–9
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth
^#Rankings from final AP Poll.

References

^ University of Dallas Baseball Records (accessed June 3, 2012).
^ Jimmy Kitts profile at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame^[usurped](accessed March 19, 2020)
^ Gregory, Lloyd (December 15, 1923). "Sports News And Comments". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. 3. Retrieved August 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Former Rice Coach, Jimmy Kitts, Dies". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 15, 1952. Retrieved October 20, 2011 – via Google News.

External links

Jimmy Kitts at Find a Grave

This biographical article relating to a college football coach first appointed in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] University of Dallas Baseball Records (accessed June 3, 2012).

[2] Jimmy Kitts profile at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame^[usurped](accessed March 19, 2020)

[3] Gregory, Lloyd (December 15, 1923). "Sports News And Comments". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. 3. Retrieved August 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .

[4] "Former Rice Coach, Jimmy Kitts, Dies". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 15, 1952. Retrieved October 20, 2011 – via Google News.

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